Friday, February 02, 2007

419 scams now coming to your postbox

My girlfriend got an advance-fee fraud scam (the one where you've won the lottery) by post today. This is the first time I've seen one of these by post, and it was surprising to see in come to Dublin, Ireland of all places. Apparently this one is well known though.

This one originates in Spain (a Spanish PO box and phone number, but they could be forwarded of course). Some "small" giveaways are

- It's been printed on a colour inkjet printer- The "official stamp" on the bottom is clearly printed on -- the text is actually on top of it.- One page tells you how much you've "won" but on the "claim form" you have to fill in the amount of your winning yourself.

Of course, this is just the advance fee fraud scam going full circle. The original version was called the Spanish Prisoner scam and dates from1588. The Nigerians just popularised it online, and the Spanish are taking it back to its roots!